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A: An Alaskan political party whose members advocate a range of solutions to the conflicts between federal and local authority; from advocacy for state's rights, through a return to territorial status, all the way to complete independence and nationhood status for Alaska.

Q: Aren't most Alaskan Independence Party members a bunch of radicals and Kooks?

A: The party has its share of individualists, in the grand Alaskan tradition. No longer a fringe party, the A.I.P. is a viable third party with a serious mission and qualified candidates for elected offices.

Q: If Alaska became independent, wouldn't we lose a lot of federal money?

A: No. If Alaska returned to territorial status, most federal money would still be available. If Alaska were to attain complete independence, its revenues from oil and other natural resources would far exceed the amounts currently received from the federal government, at our current level of resource utilization.

Q: If Alaska were independent, what would happen to my social security check, federal pension, or military retirement?

A: People receive these checks around the world, regardless of their place of residence. In most cases eligibility for such checks would not be effected by Alaskan independence.

Q: If Alaska became independent, would U.S. military bases leave?

A: The strategic location of Alaska would indicate that it would serve U.S. interests to maintain a presence in Alaska. The military are good neighbors. There would be no compelling reason for the military to leave Alaska.

Q: Didn't we vote for statehood already?

A: The vote for statehood was invalid because the people were not presented with the range of options available to them. Further, the federal government has since breached the contract for statehood on numerous occasions in over a dozen serious and substantial instances.

Q: Under independence, what would happen to all the federal controls and regulations?

A: We believe that controls should be exerted by the lowest possible governmental unit. The people of Alaska can better decide what controls need to be in place than can bureaucrats in Washington. Specific local regulation might be either more or less restrictive than current federal regulation. The point is that it will be our regulation, not Washington's.

Q: Would I lose my U.S. citizenship?

A: Depending on the form of independence, several forms of citizenship would be possible, including the retention of U.S. citizenship or dual citizenship. However, considering the moral, educational, and economic decay of the U.S., Alaskans' who hold themselves to a higher standard might very well decide to at least maintain an arm's length distance from a country in decline.

Q: What will happen to major U.S. stores such as Sears, Safeway, and McDonald's?

A: Any company which found it profitable to sell in Alaska would remain. Without the constraints of the deteriorating U.S. economy, and with the enormous wealth of Alaska, international as well as local companies will prosper.

To sum up folks, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a member of a political party which advocates session from the United States, calling the US a country in "moral, economic, and educational decay" (of course they promise that all independent Alaskans could still suck off the rest of us for Social Security checks etc...)

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ďKeep up the good work.... And God bless you.Ē -- Sarah Palin, to members of the Alaskan Independence Party, 2008

Johnston is basically the quintessential example of that guy who you are constantly worried is going to impregnate your daughter (and occasionally does). He's a handsome stud, an athletic star, and he has a criminal record. (For illegally fishing some Alaskan king salmon from Moose Lake out of season. Best crime ever!) He even has a fake blog already (Sample headline: "ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!"). Plus, he described himself as a "fuckin' redneck" on his now-defunct MySpace page, which is basically the truest combination of two words anyone has made during this whole campaign. Dude, Honest Abe himself would want this guy in the Lincoln bedroom.

Just 20 months ago, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 6,500 where the biggest issue is controlling growth and the biggest annual worry is whether there will be enough snow for the Iditarod dog-mushing race.

Quote from the Sunday Wasilla newspaper.

And this is the most qualified VP candidate in the whole of the Republican party? Gimme a break. I was class president in High School, perhaps I could be Secretary of Education ?

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Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly,Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.

Speaking before the Pentecostal church, Palin painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair in which the United States could act out the will of the Lord.

"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

For one, the woman is Governor of Alaska (northern exposure keeps jumping in my head for some reason), where the hell would she have time to take care of a child with Down's Syndrome? And if she is indeed shuffling the child on her daughter, is it a wonder the girl popped up pregnant? Shame on Palin for turning her daughter into a nanny. Perfect example look at how much time MinisMum has to herself and she has 6 kids that are special needs, I think. Sorry, Mum, you're the first person that came to mind here.

Like Aunty said, I feel sorry for the poor girl. She probably knows that her baby's daddy is a drunken whoremonger and is now forced into a shotgun marriage. I predict the poor thing will be in therapy for years.

I can't see how this a plus for McCain and if he made it to office and croaked the next day, all these issues Palin is having now would probably be flipped into reasons to impeach her from office. What a bang up job the Republicans are doing, this should be a slam dunk for Obama now.

Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.

St. George, however, points out that Palin couldn't have seen everything through an Evangelical lens. She did, he says, notably resist calls to restrict operating hours for the bars in town. And even if faith did play an unusually large role in her decision-making as mayor, it may have only reflected the continued rise of Evangelicalism in the valley, a growth that continues to this day.

"We like to call this the Bible Belt of Alaska," says Cheryl Metiva, head of the local chamber of commerce. Churches proliferate in Wasilla today, and among the largest and most influential is the Wasilla Bible Church, where the Palins worship.

At the 11:15 a.m. Sunday service, hundreds sit in folding chairs, listening to a 20-minute sermon about the Book of Malachi and singing along to alt-rock praise songs. The only sign of culture warring in the whole production is an insert in the day's program advertising an upcoming Focus on the Family conference on homosexuality in Anchorage called Love Won Out. The group promises to teach attendees how to "respond to misinformation in our culture" and help them "overcome" homosexuality.

When Palin, who went on to win re-election by a landslide, was forced out of the Mayor's office by term limits in 2002, her husband Todd's stepmother Faye Palin ran for mayor. She did not, however, get Sarah Palin's endorsement. A couple of people told me that they thought abortion was the reason for Palin not supporting her family member ó Faye, they say, is pro-choice, not to mention a Democrat. A former city council member recalls that it was a heated race, mainly because of right-to-life issues: "People were writing BABYKILLER on Faye's campaign signs just a few days before the election." Faye Palin lost the race to the candidate that Sarah backed, Dianne Keller, who is still mayor of Wasilla. (Over the weekend, Faye Palin told the New York Daily News that she liked listening to Barack Obama speak and that she wasn't sure who she would vote for in November.)

They are stuck with their bad choice. The McCain folks can't dump her now, for fear of enraging the theocrats who run the state republican parties...

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ďKeep up the good work.... And God bless you.Ē -- Sarah Palin, to members of the Alaskan Independence Party, 2008

Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin attempted to quietly have her daughter Bristol get married before news of her pregnancy leaked out, the NATIONAL ENQUIRER is reporting exclusively in its new issue.

Palin planned for the wedding to take place right after the Republican National Convention and then she was going to announce the pregnancy.

But Bristol, 17, refused to go along with the plan and that sparked a mother-daughter showdown over the failed coverup.

The ultra-conservative governorís announcement about her daughterís pregnancy came hours after The ENQUIRER informed her representatives and family members of Levi Johnston, the father of Bristolís child, that we were aware of the pregnancy and were going to break the news.

In a preemptive strike Palin released the news, creating political shockwaves.

The ENQUIRER has also learned that Palinís family is embroiled in a vicious war that is now exposing her darkest secrets, threatening to destroy her political career.

Palinís ongoing war with her ex brother-in-law Mike Wooten, a state trooper, has caused multiple sources to come forward with shocking allegations about the governor.

Details of those allegations, the family feud, and Palinís attempt to cover up her teen daughterís pregnancy are in the new issue of The ENQUIRER.

Quick hijack to tell Queen that, yes, we have 6 children but only 5 have special needs.

I also wanted to add that I'm a fan of Palin and of James Dobson. (NOT McCain) I may not agree with everything they believe. Nor do I agree with decisions that she's reportedly made concerning her family. But, over-all, I like the lady. She comes acrossed, with all of her issues, as human. I've made loads of mistakes in my life. I just have the privelage of not having the media following me around pointing the spotlight on them.

If the country needs a dog fight instead of unity, then the GOP is the way to go.If people want to be ruled by a Rush Limbaugh mentality, then the GOP is the way to go.And where will it get us in 4 more years? No where.

Republicans laughing with a woman laughing at a black mans devotion in helpinginner city poor kids.... well you make the call.And they have the nerve to have the flag waving in the background...

What an ugly speech from a pretty woman.This is why I'm glad to be democrat, and always will be that way.

Obviously the GOP has not changed since 2000, 2004 and before that.Their theme remains the same. Division.

Us against them. You against me.Not one word of unity or country. But I'm really disappointed with McCain the most.I donít know Palin, but McCain should know better.

So its clear as glass. If the republicans keep the power, we will continue to havean ugly divided country.The one thing Obama wants to change is that division. But as usual the GOP doesnít get it.The GOP canít understand the message Obama offers.Very ugly and divisive ticket the GOP is pushing. And for them to utter the name of Abraham Lincoln and religion as on their side,that alone is nothing short of bone chilling and exposes their true ugly soul.

Good speech, yes, if your goal is to divide the country and keep it that way.

I don't understand the argument that Obama isn't fit to be an executive because he doesn't have executive experience (like being a small town mayor/governor for 20 months). Doesn't that mean McCain, who also has only been a Senator/Congressman, is also not fit to be in the Executive branch of government?

Her speech made me sick. Her balant attacks on Obama were so uncalled for. Where is the Unity? I don`t want a pit bull in office who wears lipstick. I still believe the wrong choice was made on Mccains part. Typical Republican reterict. Be afraid America, be very afraid. Thats what they like us to be, afraid. I don`t think being sarcastic was an admirable trait. It made her look bitter and ugly.Did you hear them chanting, "Drill baby drill"...Ugh. They definitely don`t get it and never will.

OBAMA/BIDEN '08 Unity will win out. Republicans just want to divide us, and that doesn`t work. It hasn`t and never will.

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" My Body Might Be Broken, but My Spirit and Soul are Alive and Well " my personal mantra

I had been trying to stay out of this thread, because I am finding comments in here to be simply more negative political talk on par with that being spewed by the McCain/Plain ticket. I really do prefer civil political discourse. We can disagree in a calm and clear voice -- using facts to persuade people - and spending less time saying what is wrong with the other and more time on why someone should be elected. I know, I know -- blast away at me -- I live in a fantasy world, but as I've said in another post, I am far more interested in why I should vote for someone vs. why I should NOT vote for someone. Ultimately they are the same story -- one just hits me as more palatable.

I don't understand the argument that Obama isn't fit to be an executive because he doesn't have executive experience (like being a small town mayor/governor for 20 months). Doesn't that mean McCain, who also has only been a Senator/Congressman, is also not fit to be in the Executive branch of government?

Oh no McCain has executive experience -- because (I forget which talking head made this comment on the Today show the other morning), because "McCain has led men into battle".

Yes, we must all rise above the fray, but when McCain's campaign manager says, "this campaign is not about the issues" it's a clear signal where they are headed. They lose on the issues so, culture wars anyone?

This hurts. Dobson has spent the bulk of his career trying to deny me any rights, and deny my boyfriend any rights, and deny the rights of all gay and lesbian Americans. This has been his primary mission with his public advocacy. Palin (like McCain) is against sex education in schools, and instead supports scientifically debunked abstinence-only programs (http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/01/1320417.aspx). Thanks to this Bush/McCain/Palin policy (federal funding of abstinence-only programs instead of sex education programs), we've been seeing rising rates of HIV infections in American teens.

I'm a huge Mini and Minimom fan, but please do some research on how Dobson has spent his life calling me and all gay Americans worthy of God's "punishment" and thus not worthy of the rights you enjoy. Please study Palin's and McCain's domestic AIDS record.

That said, this reply is not meant to intimidate. I really do appreciate the honesty of your post. It's only through dialogue that any of us can learn, grow, and understand eachother.

Republicans just want to divide us, and that doesn`t work. It hasn`t and never will.

Sorry, it does and it will. Hopefully America will see through their game this time. Hopefully.

Sure does. I see in this very thread where I posted how concerned all the local Reps were concernced about the choice just a few days ago. As far as I can tell, they have since all jumped on the bandwagon. They're completely buying the whole thing - even willing to pay retail for it.

Watching Sarah Palin I kept thinking of Bettytacy's signature: When fascism comes to America,it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross.-Sinclair Lewis. Add that it will be wearing a smart little outfit and you have Palin pegged. Book banning, hypocritical abstinence teachings, pit bull tactics..sadly its all there. As to her experience: why was the mayor of a town of 9,000 making $75k? How do you leave a town of 9,000 saddled with a $15 million deficit? So very many questions...

I listened to her speech...she has certain gifts. I found her cynical and smart alecky; she could always go into stand-up comedy, if politics doesn't work out.

I was so p.o.'d at Anderson Cooper last night (and I normally like him a lot) After McCain's speech, he stated that "McCain had definitely upped his game and laid out very specific plans for how to move the country forward, unlike the democrats". What speech was he listening to? I didn't hear ONE WORD of anything concrete, just more pie-in-the-sky foolishness.

As McCain said, we are ALL Americans, we are all deserving of the same rights (except gays, handicapped people, veterans, women who expect equal pay for equal work, etc etc etc).

As JK says, "I call bullshit"

Alan

(PS - I have decided NOT to buy Goodyear tires for my car, since they discriminated against a woman in management and would not give her back pay equal to men's who did the same job; this was upheld in the Supreme Court, but Ruth B. Ginsberg gave a very sternly worded dissention) Equal pay for equal work is a MAJOR sore spot with me, as all my working life I have seen people paid unfairly or 'differently' for a variety of reasons. If they install Palin as VP, perhaps she'll be willing to work for less than Biden would.......

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"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

I can't watch CNN much anymore. And now MSNBC has out loud and proud lesbian Rachel Maddow as a pundit all the time, and they're giving her her own 1-hour TV show beginning on Monday I feel the need to support her over that closet case with white hair.

(PS - I have decided NOT to buy Goodyear tires for my car, since they discriminated against a woman in management and would not give her back pay equal to men's who did the same job; this was upheld in the Supreme Court, but Ruth B. Ginsberg gave a very sternly worded dissention) Equal pay for equal work is a MAJOR sore spot with me, as all my working life I have seen people paid unfairly or 'differently' for a variety of reasons. If they install Palin as VP, perhaps she'll be willing to work for less than Biden would.......

That totally cracks me up... Thanks for the comment.. LOL... D

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Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge

she is terrific, charming, funny in a "can easily turn mean" kind of way. She had the women in the crowd cheering. It was like 2004, when the same women mocked Kerry's war records by wearing the band-aids with the purple hearts on them.

She swept up the under-educated, anti-intellectual, anti-individualistic, sheep mentality demographic in a way Mccain never ever could.

Those people DO NOT WANT a smart person in the office. They DO NOT WANT a Nobel laureate. They do not want someone intellectually or culturally superior to them as a leader. IN their reality television, world-wide wrestling, cowneck sweater, frosted hair world, they want what they got in Bush: One of their own.

Never, ever underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. This election will be close. very close. And in the end, it will be the vapid, snooty intellectuals who have thus far been under-affected by the collapse of our government who decide our fate. The idiots who vote for Ron Paul to "send a message" will determine our fate. The Arses who can't pull themselves out of Starbucks long enough to stand in line at a voting poll will decide our fate.

The people who say they love us and support us, but secretly despise our HIv "lifestyle" will determine our fate.

The people who are racist will determine our fate. And there are so many of them, dressed up just like human beings.

Unless we, who actually read, who actually understand the process and it's failures, act. Mobilize. Take our friends who are crippled with neuropathy with us to the polls. Take the ghosts of those who have died serving a country that did not serve them back, take whatever spirit we have and go vote.

This is not the time to be passive. because there are far more of them than there are of us. I know, I am related to several. My own brother voted for Bush twice, and will vote Republican this time with his stupid, nasty wife. Even though it's a vote that will endanger his children's future, physically and financially. Because at the end of the day, he is a mean, selfish person who would rather be head sheep than just another Shepard.

Those of us who absolutely cannot get out to vote should use this powerful tool, the internet, to arrange absentee voting.

And those of us with families who teeter on the edge should remind them that our medical futures, our Ryan White funding, our Medicare, our housing and our expensive medications are at serious risk. Have been for almost eight years. We should remind our families with children that abstinence-only education directly leads to an earlier sexual experience, ignorance of proper condom use, an the rise in HIV among young people which should not be happening.

*edited to addThose of us with limited incomes are struggling as food prices soar. They do so artificially, and this trend can be reversed. The insanity of using corn for fuel (which is only a limited success) at the expense of feeding cattle and humans is evident each time we see eggs, milk, bread prices skyrocket. Nutrition is the single most important element when it comes to surviving HIV. Without proper nutrition, we weaken, our immune systems collapse, and all the meds in the world cannot take the place of decent food. Add to that the dietary restrictions the meds place on so many of us (low sodium, low cholesterol, high fiber/protein) and the choice becomes clear. We simply cannot afford more of this trend, a trend which will not abate if Mccain is placed in office. Do I have my doubts about Obama? Of course I do. But someone who is willing to try is, in my opinion, better than someone whose record of voting has placed us squarely where we stand today.* end of edit.

Dark ages or Renaissance? Its our call this time. We have to save ourselves. And yeah, its that important.

just saying.

« Last Edit: September 05, 2008, 01:53:31 PM by jkinatl2 »

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"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

Living in a red state in the midst of this oh-so-important election can be so frustrating. You feel like your vote doesn't count and you sit on the sideline watching and waiting for just a few states to decide the fate of a nation. Actually that's not true. I volunteered plenty of time (ain't got no money) this summer helping to elect liberal Congressman Steve Cohen as my Congressman. He will be a valuable ally to Obama in Congress. Another thing I did after my blood stopped boiling watching the Republican convention was donate some cash-well not cash really. I dusted off my MasterCard and donated 75 bucks to the cause. Every time I hear about the ten million dollars Obama raised immediately after her speech, I think, hey they're talking about me.

I'm not askin' , just sayin, even donating 5 bucks to the cause will make you think they're are talking about you too! I bet if you go to Obama's website they'll tell you how to do it.

This was a brilliant choice.she is terrific, charming, funny in a "can easily turn mean" kind of way. She had the women in the crowd cheering. It was like 2004, when the same women mocked Kerry's war records by wearing the band-aids with the purple hearts on them.She swept up the under-educated, anti-intellectual, anti-individualistic, sheep mentality demographic in a way Mccain never ever could.Those people DO NOT WANT a smart person in the office. They DO NOT WANT a Nobel laureate. They do not want someone intellectually or culturally superior to them as a leader. IN their reality television, world-wide wrestling, cowneck sweater, frosted hair world, they want what they got in Bush: One of their own.Never, ever underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. This election will be close. very close. And in the end, it will be the vapid, snooty intellectuals who have thus far been under-affected by the collapse of our government who decide our fate. The idiots who vote for Ron Paul to "send a message" will determine our fate. The Arses who can't pull themselves out of Starbucks long enough to stand in line at a voting poll will decide our fate.The people who say they love us and support us, but secretly despise our HIv "lifestyle" will determine our fate.The people who are racist will determine our fate. And there are so many of them, dressed up just like human beings.Unless we, who actually read, who actually understand the process and it's failures, act. Mobilize. Take our friends who are crippled with neuropathy with us to the polls. Take the ghosts of those who have died serving a country that did not serve them back, take whatever spirit we have and go vote.This is not the time to be passive. because there are far more of them than there are of us. I know, I am related to several. My own brother voted for Bush twice, and will vote Republican this time with his stupid, nasty wife. Even though it's a vote that will endanger his children's future, physically and financially. Because at the end of the day, he is a mean, selfish person who would rather be head sheep than just another Shepard.Those of us who absolutely cannot get out to vote should use this powerful tool, the internet, to arrange absentee voting.And those of us with families who teeter on the edge should remind them that our medical futures, our Ryan White funding, our Medicare, our housing and our expensive medications are at serious risk. Have been for almost eight years. We should remind our families with children that abstinence-only education directly leads to an earlier sexual experience, ignorance of proper condom use, an the rise in HIV among young people which should not be happening.*edited to addThose of us with limited incomes are struggling as food prices soar. They do so artificially, and this trend can be reversed. The insanity of using corn for fuel (which is only a limited success) at the expense of feeding cattle and humans is evident each time we see eggs, milk, bread prices skyrocket. Nutrition is the single most important element when it comes to surviving HIV. Without proper nutrition, we weaken, our immune systems collapse, and all the meds in the world cannot take the place of decent food. Add to that the dietary restrictions the meds place on so many of us (low sodium, low cholesterol, high fiber/protein) and the choice becomes clear. We simply cannot afford more of this trend, a trend which will not abate if Mccain is placed in office. Do I have my doubts about Obama? Of course I do. But someone who is willing to try is, in my opinion, better than someone whose record of voting has placed us squarely where we stand today.* end of edit.Dark ages or Renaissance? Its our call this time. We have to save ourselves. And yeah, its that important.just saying.

Never, ever underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. This election will be close. very close. And in the end, it will be the vapid, snooty intellectuals who have thus far been under-affected by the collapse of our government who decide our fate.

This is so true. I see that in every election in PR. Not one of these governors (ever) have done anything for gay rights and not one will do anything to help the struggling middle class hiv pos persons get their meds through the nonfunctional ADAP program. We're _ucked... If the republicans win again in USA, it's just going to get worse here on this island...God help us!

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Catman

Meow to the birdsMeow to the tree'sMeow to the endof this dreadful disease...

It won't get much worse only for poz Americans and America in general. That woman, she terrifies me on so many levels, global warming most obviously, but also an even weaker US and a much stronger Russia (that little muscle flex in which more than 2,000 Georgians were killed in a day is no coincidence) and China, therefore a freely nuclear Iran.

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"If you keep one foot in yesterday, and one in tomorrow, you piss all over today". Betty Tacy

I watched an interesting discussion on Bill Moyers Journal last night:

TRANSCRIPT

September 5, 2008

BILL MOYERS: Welcome to the Journal.

It was the Republicans' turn this week and they left the convention in Saint Paul united by what they're against. The culture wars are on again and the press is in the no-man's land. We'll get to that in a moment with our resident guide, Kathleen Hall Jamieson. But first, a brief reality check.

Fifty million American children went back to school this week. But as reporter Sam Dillon writes in the "New York Times", more of them than ever are homeless and poor enough to need free meals. Mortgage foreclosures are throwing hundreds of families out of their homes each month. With fuel and food costs rising, with tax revenues falling, school budgets are in retreat. Detroit, for example, has laid off 700 teachers. We're not talking about just a few isolated places. This is nationwide.

Across the country schools are shortening the school week, cutting bus stops or eliminating bus service altogether, canceling field trips, and hiking the price of cafeteria lunches. You can read Sam Dillon's story on our website at PBS.org. Then look around where you live, and see if there's something you and your neighbors can do to help struggling schools in your district.

Also on our site is a map showing the whereabouts of Vice President Cheney. To the relief of many Republicans, he was a no-show at their convention, but now he's popped up in Central Asia, the vital crossroads for oil and gas from the Caspian Sea. No sooner had he landed in one of the former Soviet republics than he met with two giant oil companies ó BP and Chevron.

Meanwhile, back in Washington...

CONDOLEEZZA RICE (video clip):Good afternoon.

BILL MOYERS:The Bush Administration was announcing an increase in American aid to Georgia by more than 1500 percent.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE (video clip):...the Georgian economy...

BILL MOYERS: From 64 million dollars this year to one billion dollars next year. A billion dollars. You can only wonder how many American kids a billion dollars could put back on the buses, back in class, and back in the cafeteria line. If you noticed that these important issues were not discussed very much at either convention, you're not alone.

With me now is Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She and her colleague, Joseph Capella, have written this new book, "Echo Chamber: Rush Limbaugh and the Conservative Media Establishment." Welcome back.

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: Thank you.

BILL MOYERS: This convention this week was to have been John McCain's story and John McCain's show. But Sarah Palin really made it her show and her story. She became the star. How do you think this has changed the campaign?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: It's changed the campaign in the obvious ways. It's energized the Republicans' social conservative base. But it's done something else. By naming her and energizing that convention around that pick, he's made it more difficult for him to do what he wanted to do in the acceptance speech that he gave and that is signal to the Independents that he is the maverick who, on climate change, on immigration, on closing Guantanamo, on standing up to President Bush on terror, had differed substantially from this administration. On embryonic stem cell research, differs with many in his own party.

And so when people say, well, why didn't he go through that litany of his real accomplishments not only of reaching across the aisle but of you know, addressing serious problems that face the nation, because he would have been booed potentially by that audience.

And there's the tension inside this nomination. They wanted to simultaneously have Governor Palin speak to part of the audience, Senator McCain speak to another. But he couldn't without potentially alienating the audience that was being drawn to her candidacy.